Self-contained motorized lift-slide panel
In one embodiment, an automatic moving panel includes: a panel housing; a power source contained within the panel housing; a first motor contained within the panel housing and coupled to the power source; a second motor contained within the panel housing and coupled to the power source; a control circuit contained within the panel housing and coupled to the power source for controlling operation of the first and second motors; at least one first wheel extending downwardly from a bottom surface of the panel housing and coupled to the first motor, wherein the at least one first wheel is configured to be raised and lowered with respect to the bottom surface of the panel housing in response to mechanical forces generated by the first motor; and at least one second wheel extending downwardly from the bottom surface of the panel housing and coupled to the second motor, wherein the at least one second wheel automatically rotated in response to mechanical forces generated by the second motor, thereby moving the panel housing in a desired direction.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automatic sliding doors and panels and, more particularly, to automatic sliding doors and panels wherein the lifting and sliding mechanisms and motors are fully contained and concealed within the housing of the doors or panels.
2. Description of Related Technology
Existing automatic sliding doors and panels typically have a large motor and power assemblies located externally to the door, which impart a mechanical force upon the door or panel so as to drive the door/panel along a track located under the door or panel. As used hereinafter, the term “panel” shall be used to encompass doors, windows, panels or other moveable structures that can open and close to provide access to a room or area of a building. Most conventional automatic sliding panels have undercarriage wheels, which roll on top of one or more tracks to provide gliding motion to the sliding doors. Such conventional automatic sliding panels, however, are powered by bulky motor assemblies located externally to the housing of the panels. These large external motor assemblies make such conventional automatic panels unsuitable for use in residential applications and even some commercial applications where aesthetics are an important factor and/or space is limited.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing an automatic gliding or sliding panel having its motor assembly contained within the housing or frame of the panel such that they are not visible.
In one embodiment, the automatic sliding panel has the appearance of a typical manual sliding panel but is automatically operated via remote control or other external controls (e.g., a wall mounted control unit) to open and close automatically.
In one embodiment, an automatic moving panel includes: a panel housing; a first motor contained within the housing; and at least one wheel coupled to the housing and projecting outwardly from a bottom surface of the housing, wherein the first motor drives rotation of at least one of the plurality of wheels to move the panel in a desired direction.
In another embodiment, an automatic moving panel includes: a panel housing; a first motor contained within the panel housing; a second motor contained within the panel housing; a processing or control circuit contained within the panel housing for controlling operation of the first and second motors; at least one first wheel extending downwardly from a bottom surface of the panel housing and coupled to the first motor, wherein the at least one first wheel is configured to be raised and lowered with respect to the bottom surface of the panel housing in response to mechanical forces generated by the first motor; and at least one second wheel extending downwardly from the bottom surface of the panel housing and coupled to the second motor, wherein the at least one second wheel automatically rotates in response to mechanical forces generated by the second motor, thereby moving the panel housing in a desired direction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the figures, wherein like elements are referenced with like numerals throughout. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and do not necessarily show every detail or structure of the various embodiments of the invention but, rather, illustrate exemplary components and mechanical features in order to provide an enabling description of such exemplary embodiments.
As shown in
The motor 24 may be any suitable electric motor and, in one embodiment, is similar to conventional electric powered motors found in electric drills and screwdrivers. In one embodiment, the motor 24 may incorporate a servo motor having markings or other indicators that can be viewed by optical or electrical encoders (not shown) for tracking, monitoring and controlling the number of rotations of a gear assembly actuated by the motor 24, thereby monitoring the status (e.g., open or closed), position and speed of the panels. The encoder can than communicate this information to a microcontroller contained within the control unit 22. Such servo motors and encoders are well known in the art. The motor 24 is coupled to a gear assembly 26 that translates the rotational force provided by the motor 24 into a desired gear ratio, torque and/or speed to effectuate movement of a drive chain or belt 28, which in turn rotates a lever 29. When the lever 29 (e.g., a rotating cam) rotates, it lifts or lowers a vertical coupling rod 44 (
The second motor assembly includes a second motor 25 and a second gear box 27 coupled to the second motor 25. The second motor 25 is electrically coupled to the power and control unit 22 via an electrical cable (not shown). In one embodiment, the second motor 25 can comprise a servo motor and optical or electrical encoders, as discussed above, which are well known in the art. The optical or electrical encoders communicate with a microcontroller or microprocessor 102 in the power and control unit 22 to enable the microcontroller or microprocessor 102 to monitor and control the movement of the one or more panels. The power and control unit 22 turns the second motor on and off and controls the speed and direction of rotation of the second motor 25. The gear assembly 27 translates the electromotive force provided by the second motor 25 into a desired torque and/or speed (e.g., revolutions per minute (rpm)). As described in further detail below with reference to
In one embodiment, when the power and control unit 22 receives a command to open or close the panel 10, for example, the power and control unit 22 will provide a pre-specified DC current having a first polarity to the first motor 24, which in turn provides a rotating force to gear box 26. The gear box 26, via internal gear mechanisms that are well-known in the art, translates the rotational force of the first motor 24 into a desired speed and torque, which in turn is imparted onto the first toothed gear 36. The rotation of the first toothed gear 36 is translated into rotation of the second toothed gear 38, which engages the first toothed gear 36. The rotation of the second toothed gear 38 causes the drive belt 28 to rotate, which in turn causes the third gear or wheel 40 to rotate. A lever 42 (e.g., rotating cam) is coupled to the third gear 40 and rotates when the third gear 40 rotates.
As shown in
Referring to
Referring to
In one embodiment, at the end of an “open” or “close” operation, or when the power and control unit 22 receives a “stop” command, for example, the panel 10 is automatically lowered to its resting position. To perform this lowering operation, in one embodiment, the lever 42 (
Referring to
In one embodiment, the second motor 25 and second gear assembly 27 are secured to a top surface of a rigid metal platform 66, which is securely fixed to the housing of the second wheel set 18. Therefore, the second motor 25 and gear assembly 27 are fixedly coupled to the second wheel set 18. As shown in
Referring to
As shown in
The panel frame 14 further includes an interrupt detector 90 for detecting when an object is in the path of the panel 10 closing. In one embodiment, the interrupt detector comprises a light detector 90 that receives a light beam (e.g., laser, infrared, etc.) from a light beam transmitter 92 located in a corresponding location of the wall 80. If an object interrupts the beam of light from the transmitter 92 to the detector 90, the detector 90 sends an interrupt signal to a microprocessor located in the power and control unit 22. Similar light detectors and receivers are well known in the art and used to interrupt the closing of garage panels, for example. In other embodiments, the interrupt detector comprises a motion sensor which is well known in the art. Upon receiving the interrupt signal, the power and control unit 22 will stop the automatic panel 10 from closing any further until the object in the path of the panel 10 is removed and a “resume operation” signal is received from the light detector 90 and/or another command is received by the microprocessor via remote control.
In one embodiment, the power and control unit 22 further includes a random access memory (RAM) 104 for temporarily storing data and/or instructions that are executed by the microprocessor 102. In further embodiments, the power and control unit 22 further includes a reprogrammable FLASH memory 106 for storing data and program code that controls the operation of the microprocessor 102. In one embodiment, upon system start up, program code is downloaded from the FLASH memory 106 to the RAM 104 for execution by the microprocessor 102. This program code is the software that controls the operation of the microprocessor or microcontroller 102 such as how it receives and transmits signals, and controls other devices (e.g., motors 24 and 25). In one embodiment, the motors 24 and 25 include servo motors and encoders as discussed above. The encoders communicate with the microcontroller 102 to indicate the current status of the one or more panels of a panel assembly such as whether each panel is fully open or closed, or its position in between these states, lifted or not lifted, or in between these states. The servo motors can also allow monitoring of speed and direction of motor rotation. Therefore, the microcontroller can control and determine when all the panels are lifted before initiating closing or opening operations via the motor(s) 24, for example, as well as controlling the speed and direction of movement (e.g., sliding and/or lifting movement) of each panel.
It is understood that the functionality of the microcontroller or microprocessor 102 can be implemented in various ways known in the art. For example, a control circuit 102 can be implemented as a microcontroller, microprocessor, relay circuits/switchs, programmable logic gates, ASICS or other circuits known in the art. In one embodiment, a control circuit 102 can include a separate system controller (not shown) for communicating with the servo encoders and a remote control unit/wall mounted control unit, and one or motor controllers (not shown), which communicates with the system controller. The system controller, in addition to receiving operational commands (e.g., “Stop”, “open,” “close,” etc.) controls the operation of each motor controller, which in turn actuates and controls each of the motors 24, 25 in the panel assembly.
In alternative embodiment, the power and control unit 22 may comprise a rechargeable battery that supplies power to system control circuitry. The system control circuitry may comprise the microprocessor 102 discussed above or, in alternative embodiments, may simply comprise relay switches, micro switches, or other control circuits that are well known in the art for controlling the functionality described herein.
In one embodiment, the power and control unit 22 further includes an infrared (IR) light detector for receiving IR command signals from a remote control unit (not shown). In other embodiments, any means of wireless communication can be utilized two-way communication between the remote control unit and the control unit 22. The command signals include, inter alia, commands such as “open,” “close” and “stop,” for example. Upon receiving an “open” or “close” command, for example, the microprocessor 102 controls a switch 112 to provide charge/power from a power supply battery 110 to both the first and second motors 24 and 25, respectively. The power supply or battery 110 may be any type of rechargeable battery or power source known in the art such as a lithium ion or NiMH battery, for example. As explained above, power is first provided to the first motor 24 to lift the panel 10 a pre-specified distance above its normal resting position. Thereafter, power is provided to the second motor 25 to automatically drive the wheels 18a and 18b so as to automatically move the panel 10 along a track in a desired direction. The microprocessor 102 can be programmed to provide power to the respective first and second motors 24 and 25 for an appropriate duration of time in order to effectuate a desired amount of lifting and move the panel 10 a desired distance from its fully closed to fully open position, and back. Additionally, the panel 10 may be stopped at any interim position by sending a “stop” command to the microprocessor 102 via the remote control or wall-mounted control unit. Additionally, in further embodiments, the microprocessor 102 senses when the path of the panel 10 is being obstructed when it receives a interrupt signal from the light (e.g., laser) detector 90 (
While various embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the above descriptions of the embodiments are exemplary only and that the invention may be practiced with modifications or variations of the devices and techniques disclosed above. For example, in alternative embodiments, the orientation of the wheels 16a, 16b, 18a and 18b may be turned 90 degrees from the orientation shown in
Claims
1. An automatic moving panel, comprising:
- a panel housing;
- a first motor contained within the housing; and
- at least one first wheel coupled to the housing and projecting outwardly from a bottom surface of the housing, wherein the first motor drives rotation of the at least one first wheel to move the panel in a desired direction.
2. The automatic moving panel of claim 1 further comprising a power source contained within the housing and coupled to the first motor so as to provide power to the first motor.
3. The automatic moving panel of claim 1 further comprising a gear assembly coupled to the first motor and the at least one first wheel, the gear assembly translating the mechanical force generated by the first motor into a desired rotational force applied to the at least one first wheel.
4. The automatic moving panel of claim 1 further comprising at least one second wheel and a second motor coupled to the at least one second wheel, for providing a mechanical force to lift or lower the at least one second wheel a desired distance with respect to a bottom surface of the panel housing.
5. The automatic moving panel of claim 4 further comprising a vertical coupling rod coupled to the second motor, wherein the second motor provides a mechanical force to raise or lower the vertical coupling rod, which in turn lowers or raises the at least one second wheel with respect to the bottom surface of the panel housing.
6. The automatic moving panel of claim 5 further comprising:
- a lever coupled to the vertical coupling rod; and
- a gear assembly for translating the mechanical force provided by the second motor into a desired rotational force applied to the lever, wherein rotation of the lever actuates vertical movement of the vertical coupling rod.
7. The automatic moving panel of claim 1 wherein the at least one first and second wheels are configured to roll on a linear track to provide linear motion to the panel.
8. The automatic moving panel of claim 1 further comprising a control circuit contained within the housing of the panel for controlling operation of the first motor.
9. The automatic moving panel of claim 8 further comprising an interrupt detector coupled to the control circuit for sensing when the movement of the panel is being hindered and sending an interrupt signal to the control circuit.
10. The automatic moving panel of claim 9 wherein said interrupt detector comprises a light beam emitter and a light beam detector both of which are vertically oriented along a leading edge of the panel housing.
11. The automatic moving panel of claim 1 further comprising:
- an internal power source located within the panel housing; and
- an electrical contact element located on an external surface of the panel housing and configured to make electrical contact with an external power source in order to recharge the internal power source.
12. The automatic moving panel of claim 1 further comprising a transparent window and wherein the panel housing comprises a frame that borders and receives the peripheral edges of the transparent window.
13. An automatic moving panel, comprising:
- a panel housing;
- a power source contained within the panel housing;
- a first motor contained within the panel housing and coupled to the power source;
- a second motor contained within the panel housing and coupled to the power source;
- a control circuit contained within the panel housing and coupled to the power source for controlling operation of the first and second motors;
- at least one first wheel extending downwardly from a bottom surface of the panel housing and coupled to the first motor, wherein the at least one first wheel is configured to be raised and lowered with respect to the bottom surface of the panel housing in response to mechanical forces generated by the first motor; and
- at least one second wheel extending downwardly from the bottom surface of the panel housing and coupled to the second motor, wherein the at least one second wheel automatically rotated in response to mechanical forces generated by the second motor, thereby moving the panel housing in a desired direction.
14. The automatic moving panel of claim 13 further comprising a vertical coupling rod coupled to the first motor and the at least one first wheel, wherein the first motor provides a mechanical force to raise or lower the vertical coupling rod, which in turn lowers or raises the at least one first wheel with respect to the bottom surface of the panel housing.
15. The automatic moving panel of claim 14 further comprising:
- a lever coupled to the vertical coupling rod; and
- a first gear assembly for translating the mechanical force provided by the first motor into a desired rotational force applied to the lever, wherein rotation of the lever actuates vertical movement of the vertical coupling rod.
16. The automatic moving panel of claim 15 further comprising:
- a first pivoting coupler coupled to the lever and the vertical coupling rod for translating rotational motion of the lever into vertical linear motion of the vertical coupling rod; and
- a second pivoting coupler coupled to the vertical coupling rod and the at least one first wheel, for translating vertical motion of the vertical coupling rod into vertical motion of the at least one first wheel.
17. The automatic moving panel of claim 15 further comprising a second gear assembly coupled to the second motor and the at least one second wheel, the second gear assembly translating the mechanical force generated by the second motor into a desired rotational force applied to the at least one second wheel.
18. The automatic moving panel of claim 17 further comprising:
- a first drive belt coupled to the first gear assembly and the lever for translating mechanical forces provided by the first gear assembly into rotational motion of the lever; and
- a second drive belt coupled to the second gear assembly and the at least one second wheel for translating mechanical forces provided by the second gear assembly into rotational motion of the at least one second wheel.
19. The automatic moving panel of claim 13 wherein the at least one first and second wheels are configured to roll on a linear track to provide linear motion to the panel.
20. The automatic moving panel of claim 13 further comprising an interrupt detector coupled to the control circuit for sensing when the movement of the panel is being hindered and sending an interrupt signal to the control circuit.
21. The automatic moving panel of claim 20 wherein said interrupt detector comprises a light beam emitter and a light beam detector both of which are vertically oriented along a leading edge of the panel housing.
22. The automatic moving panel of claim 13 further comprising an electrical contact element located on the housing of the panel and configured to make electrical contact with an external contact element in order to recharge the power source.
23. The automatic moving panel of claim 13 further comprising a transparent window and wherein the panel housing comprises a frame that borders and receives the peripheral edges of the transparent window.
24. An automatic moving panel assembly, comprising:
- at least one panel having a panel housing;
- a motor contained within the panel housing; and
- at least one wheel coupled to the housing and projecting outwardly from a bottom surface of the housing, wherein the motor actuates movement of the at least one wheel so as to move the at least one panel in a desired direction.
25. The automatic moving panel assembly of claim 24 wherein the motor lowers the at least one wheel with respect to a bottom surface of the panel housing so as to lift the panel housing as desired distance from a top surface of a floor.
26. The automatic moving panel assembly of claim 24 wherein the motor rotates the at least one wheel so as to move the at least one panel housing horizontally with respect to a top surface of a floor.
27. The automatic moving panel assembly of claim 24 further comprising a power and control unit located inside of the panel housing.
28. The automatic moving panel assembly of claim 24 further comprising an interrupt detector coupled to the control circuit for sensing when the movement of the panel is being hindered and sending an interrupt signal to the control circuit.
29. The automatic moving panel assembly of claim 28 wherein said interrupt detector comprises a light beam emitter and a light beam detector both of which are vertically oriented along a leading edge of the panel housing.
30. The automatic moving panel assembly of claim 24 wherein the at least one panel comprises a plurality of panels that are coupled together and move together is the desired direction.
Type: Application
Filed: May 2, 2006
Publication Date: Nov 29, 2007
Inventor: Brad Mickelson (San Diego, CA)
Application Number: 11/415,634
International Classification: E05F 11/00 (20060101);